Why Osiris St. Brown Picked Stanford over Joining His Brother at Notre Dame

Stanford picked up its first wide receiver pledge in 4-star Osiris St. Brown on Friday. St. Brown chose Stanford over Notre Dame, the school where his older brother, Equanimeous St. Brown, is a sophomore wide receiver.Credit: 247Sports.com

California 4-star wide receiver Osiris St. Brown loves the fact that he's a trendsetter. Few high school athletes speak three languages fluently, have a father who's a former Mr. Universe and Mr. World bodybuilding champion and possess the same first name of the Egyptian god of the underworld.

Life is only expected to get better for the Mater Dei High School prospect, and Friday afternoon helped him transition into a new chapter. St. Brown announced via social media that he verbally committed to Stanford, becoming the Cardinal's sixth commit of the 2017 class. St. Brown is Stanford's first wide receiver pledge.

osiris @osiristbrown

40 year decision 🤓🌲 #FearTheTree #CardClass17 https://t.co/VnvVqf88aT

St. Brown chose Stanford over Notre Dame—something of a surprise to many Irish fans, as his older brother, Equanimeous St. Brown, is a sophomore wide receiver in South Bend.

"It was really tough, one of the toughest decisions I've had to make," Osiris said. "Both schools are so great academically, so it was hard to choose. It just came down to how I felt, what I wanted to study and which school had the better program to me."

He added: "My brother understands I wanted to make my own decision. He respected that. He told me to go to the school that best fit me. I guess you could say I'm creating my own path."

The St. Brown surname is becoming one of intrigue in the college football recruiting world. If you know the background of the trio of brothers from Southern California—Equanimeous, Osiris and 2018 receiver Amon-Ra—then it's clear that football is only part of what makes them immediate fan favorites.

What will Stanford get in Osiris St. Brown the football player? The Cardinal get a good-sized, sure-handed receiver with big-play potential. At 6'2" and 181 pounds, St. Brown uses his height well against smaller defenders and has a knack of turning short gains into scoring opportunities for Mater Dei.

As a junior, per MaxPreps, St. Brown caught 43 passes for 884 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also averaged 20.6 yards per catch. He led Mater Dei in every receiving statistic.

He hopes to put up similar numbers at Stanford while setting his own trail and not being under the shadow of his older brother.

"In my heart, I've felt like it's the right place for me ever since I first visited with my brother," he said. "I made my final decision about a week ago. I just love the coaching staff. I've known [director of offense] Coach [Mike] Bloomgren for a while now, and I've felt a special connection with all the coaches."

Off the field, St. Brown brings the image and mentality of a school ambassador. He is an excellent student in the classroom and fluently speaks English, German and French. St. Brown added that he is interested in studying computer science.

He said he is looking forward to being a part of the family environment that originally drew him to Stanford.

"I think it was pretty awesome that it came down to Stanford and Notre Dame," he said. "My family really helped me through it all. My dad told me to go with my gut and to never second-guess anything. My mom loved both schools and said I couldn't go wrong with either one.

"For me, it just came down to where I felt a special connection. That's where I wanted to be."

Damon Sayles is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained firsthand. All player ratings are courtesy of 247Sports' composite ratings. Follow Damon via Twitter: @DamonSayles